We have all been there, wishing our upset baby or toddler would definitively tell us what they need! Of course, that’s not really possible, so instead, we go through our mama mental checklist, you know the one””are they hungry, teething, sick, bored, sleepy or in need of a diaper change? Well, I’d like to help you shorten that list by giving you a rundown of baby and toddler sleep needs, so you know they are getting sufficient rest! In this short article we will talk about why the amount of sleep our babies and toddlers are getting is essential and how much sleep babies and toddlers need. Plus, we have a useful dandy baby sleep chart that will help you easily understand the sleep needs of your little one.
Baby sleep chart – A guide to everything about Your Baby’s sleep Needs
The significance and impact of sufficient sleep
It’s no secret that sufficient sleep is vitally essential for the growth, health and cognitive development of babies and toddlers. According to a 2016 short article published in the Journal of medical sleep medicine and endorsed by the AAP, “Sleeping the number of recommended hours on a regular basis is associated with better health outcomes including improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and mental and physical health. regularly sleeping fewer than the number of recommended hours is associated with attention, behavior, and learning problems. Insufficient sleep also increases the risk of accidents, injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and depression.”
You can observe the impact of good or poor sleep hygiene in daily life with your own child. Take note of your baby’s behaviors after their sleep needs have been met vice when they are sleep deprived. A baby that isn’t well rested tends to disengage from the world around them. They aren’t interested in playing, they are often cranky, and they can be especially fussy in the late afternoon. They also have a proclivity to falling asleep during short car rides. A toddler that isn’t well rested can be hyperactive, especially around bedtime. They can often act restless, can have trouble with their behavior during social activities and can be much more accident prone.
Well rested Babies
While nuances in behavior are going to depend on your little one’s distinct personality, it is very common to see well-rested babies much more curious in exploring the world around them, able to relocation past small frustrations without large reactions, able to eat much more efficiently because they can stay awake to take a full feed and able to deal with those late afternoon “witching hours” with ease. You will notice your well-rested toddler is energetic but not hyper, much more emotionally balanced (which doesn’t imply they aren’t going to have the occasional meltdown, but it won’t be so easily triggered or occur as frequently) and is ready and prepared to explore the world around them.
Meeting your baby or toddler’s sleep needs doesn’t guarantee you a pleased child all the time. It does take one huge item off of your checklist and allows you to spend less time playing Sherlock Holmes to figure out the root cause of upset in any given situation. With younger babies, hungry and exhausted signals often look the same. In older babies and toddlers fussiness can be related to so numerous things including being tired, teething, separation anxiety etc. If you can immediately cross exhausted off your list that narrows down the possibilities faster which ultimately makes mother life a bit simpler and who doesn’t want that?
Baby sleep needs – broken down by Age groups (Baby sleep Chart)
So now that you know why the best amount of sleep is important, let’s talk numbers. all of the information on recommended hours of sleep shared here is compiled from the above article. as well as some recommendations offered by the national sleep Foundation. I personally follow these recommendations with my own child and share them with my clients in my private consultations. I can personally attest to their validity. Also, please keep in mind that every child needs a slightly different amount of total sleep to feel rested. This is the reason why I offer a range for recommended hours of sleep. as for how numerous naps are recommended for each age group, these recommendations are based on the sleep abilities of healthy babies with good sleep habits.
Baby sleep needs – Newborns (0-3 months)
On average babies in this age range need between 14 to 17 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Newborns around one month of age need between 6 to 8 hours of daytime sleep. They also need 10 to 12 hours of nighttime sleep. Their sleep patterns are unorganized. For the most part, they are taking a nap every 45 to 60 minutes until bedtime. As they get closer to 3 months, they need between 4 to 5 hours of sleep during the day. They get this sleep by taking 3 to 4 naps andalso need 10 to 12 hours of nighttime sleep.
Baby sleep needs – Infants (4-11 months)
On average babies in this age range need between 12 to 15 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. This includes naps and nighttime sleep. around 6 months babies need 3 to 4 hours daytime sleep which they typically get by taking 2 or 3 naps a day and they also need 10 to 12 hours of sleep at night. around nine months many babies need between 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep which they typically achieve by taking 2 naps 10 to 12 hours of nighttime sleep.
Baby sleep needs – toddlers (1-2 years)
You’ll find on the baby sleep chart that on average, toddlers in this age range need between 11 to 14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. many toddlers drop to one nap shortly after their first birthday, but some hold onto two naps till 18 months. These naps ought to average between 2 to 2.5 hours and they are still needing to sleep between 10 to 12 hours at night. many toddlers hang on to their one nap until 3 years of age. But, some toddlers hang on to their nap until about 5.
Take Away
There are three things I always want parents to know when it concerns baby and toddler sleep needs. The first is that they need much more sleep than you might expect! The second is that better daytime sleep absolutely correlates to better nighttime sleep. For babies and toddlers, it is a common misconception that if you limit sleep during the day they will sleep better at night. Lastly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs puts sleeping and eating at the same level as breathing. soak that in for a second! sufficient sleep is a physiological imperative for human existence but it is something that our little ones cannot do without us. We need to offer the suitable opportunities as well as timing and environment to achieve.
These sleep opportunities are best offered when they are not random, but consistent. It implies that naps and bedtime occur at just about the same time each day. practically every parent would agree that their child does best with consistency and if you were to ever work with a sleep specialist they would tell you that is the glue that holds the plan together. So now that you know how much sleep your baby or toddler needs and why it’s important, I encourage you to create a routine for them using that knowledge and guarantee your little one is able to get sufficient sleep and thrive!
Have any much more sleep questions? Ask in the Comments
About the Author
You might also Enjoy:
Sleep training twins – four suggestions to a better night’s sleep for twins
Sleep training your toddler – easy suggestions to get your little one on a Routine.
Newborn won’t sleep? Newborn sleep suggestions from an Expert!
Pin for later -Â Baby sleep chart – A guide to everything about Your Baby’s sleep Cycle